


Play Through The Silence

by addove



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, One-Shot, Precious Peter Parker, light fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 17:11:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14085684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addove/pseuds/addove
Summary: Peter is stressed. When he's stressed, he beats up bad guys. When there are no bad guys left, Peter goes home. When he is still stressed, he plays the piano, the only place Peter is really alone and safe.Turns out, though, playing at 2am in the Avengers Compound is the best way to attract unwanted attention.





	Play Through The Silence

**Author's Note:**

> One of the most random things I have ever written, but I love this headcanon to pieces. 
> 
> Just a calm fic, not too much feeling here but it was enough to make me smile... a few times... a lot of times... I just really love them okay? Just reading Peter's name makes me flashback to every amazing thing he has ever done and I'm An Emotional Person Okay.
> 
> Edit (7/21/2018) - This is an old fic and it sucks! The only reason I'm not removing it/rewriting it is because the comments make me cry :)! There is going to be a single fic full of rewrites so please look forward to that (and if you like this I have written newer and 9000% better fics so please check them out, even if this is still one of my fav's ever)!
> 
> Song Peter is playing: River Flows In You - Yiruma

Ch. 1 - "Play Through The Silence."

**x**

Against the building he clung to, his fingers itched, wishing to press down on the white and black keys again. The idea of being able to not feel stressed for the first time this week made him slightly calmer.

The problem, though, as it was two in the morning, and everyone might be asleep.

The idea of playing the piano struck his mind again and Peter ignored the thought of waking anyone up. They were probably asleep anyways. A little music wouldn't hurt, right? It would be soft and quiet... it'll help them sleep, right? 

As he climbed down from the roof of the compound, Peter listened to the silence of the night. The compound was basically in the middle of nowhere, and everything was quiet. Peter loved this, especially in times like these where everything seemed to stress him out. 

His feet struck lightly on the glass of the compound as he stopped. Peter ducked his head, watching lights flicker inside. He knew exactly what room the piano is in, only a few (rather large) rooms away from the common room. Thank god their rooms were on a different floor. Peter wouldn't be able to stand anyone's teasing if _they_ found out. After last weeks Spider-Man fiasco (which really wasn't his fault), Peter had already begun to get away from their silly nicknames. Try being called Webhead and Arachnidude all the time. It sucks. 

While he crawled across the glass, Peter prayed nobody saw him. Or heard him. You know what? He hopes he was invisible at this point. 

Sliding the window open will a slight click, Peter climbed into the room. He stopped for a moment, taking in the sounds. There were subtle sounds of machines running smoothly throughout the building, but other than that he couldn't hear anything. The room was dark, hints of light stretching through the room from the window. Peter landed softly on his feet, walking over to the door. He closed it with as little sound as he could, switching on the lights. He had seen this room a hundred times, always at night when he was alone. 

Peter walked to the piano and sat down, ignoring everything else in the room. It was a kind of library? There were books and bookshelves everywhere, but there were also lots of places to sit and, as Tony preferred, access to tech. Like, everywhere. Peter never asked what this room was. To be honest? He wasn't sure if he was even supposed to know about it. But when he was climbing, he saw the piano, and he bolted straight for it. 

Resting his hands on the keys, he took a deep breath. He felt their cool texture and a smile tugged at his lips, however small. As he pressed down, all thoughts escaped him and he felt free again. Peter started to relax as he listened to the soft melody of the piano. 

**x**

"This is horrible, an abomination, _a huge mistake-_ "

"Tony, calm down you're overreacting-"

"No, I'm not overreacting! He eats licorice, Natasha! That shouldn't be allowed, let alone legal." Tony argued, pointing at Clint from across the room. Clint shrugged his shoulders from the arm of the couch, a small smile on his lips. Natasha rolled her eyes. Tony crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Natasha could read him easily, and this is clearly what wasn't bothering him. She probably knew what it was, but honestly? That didn't matter, she had already decided it was out of her control. 

Clint took another bite of his _forbidden_ candy because it's absolutely disgusting, and laughed at Tony's look of clear disgust. Natasha felt the same. Licorice was absolutely gross, and she didn't have the ability to understand how good it was, but she'd never voice this. If Clint enjoyed it, what's the problem?

"You know, I don't even like licorice. I'm doing this to spite you." Okay, one, rude. Two, that's so something he would do. Of course.

"Fuck you." 

"Watch it! You wouldn't want Cap to hear you and your foul mouth, would you?" Clint teased, standing up and throwing his wrappers away. The smell of his candy was faint, but it was enough to make her want to buy at least a dozen scented candles. 

Tony seemed to feel the same way, Natasha noticed, because he moved to the other side of the room, where Clint hadn't even gone near with his candy.

Natasha was going to say something to Tony, but the light melody of an instrument filled her ears. A piano? It muffled, but she could hear it, at least a little. She watched Tony look out into the hallway. Clint raised an eyebrow, leaning forward a bit. He could hear it too. Good to know she isn't going insane. Sure, Tony could hear it, but who credited him for his sanity?

"Is that a piano?" Tony asked, taking a glance at the ceiling. He must be talking to F.R.I.D.A.Y.

"Yes, boss. Peter Parker is currently in the lounge room playing the piano. Would you like me to inform him of your presence?" The AI asked. With a glance in Natasha's direction and a few no's from her, Tony replied to F.R.I.D.A.Y. Natasha wants to let Peter know they are here, sure, but the idea of seeing him play the piano? That made her slightly curious. She didn't know the kid could play. 

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Clint asked mischievously, sneaking out into the hallway. Natasha rolled her eyes as she followed the two. They were like children sometimes. On some occasions, Natasha thought it was annoying. But sometimes... she knew it was a good trait to have, to be able to act like a kid in such dire times. 

As they walked down the hall, Natasha noticed she's only been in the lounge once. When she was scoping out the compound she'd only stepped in to do a quick search of the room. It wasn't like Tony's lab or the common room. It was quiet, separate from the rest of the compound in a strange way. There were only the two exits, and many windows lining the walls. Natasha felt like the room was meant to be a safe place. Now, as she opened the door just enough for them to see inside, she noticed it had become one. 

Peter sat on the bench, still dressed in the outfit he had come back to the compound in from school. His back was turned to them, and it made her feel a bit guilty they were spying on the kid. Sure, spying was her thing, and she'd do it to anyone, but the kid felt safe here and they were breaching in on it. 

Then she noticed the smile on his face and how calm he looked. Natasha had never seen the kid so calm before. His shoulders weren't tense, and his movements were calm as his hands moved along the keys. The same soft melody repeated in her ears. It was beautiful. It's like Peter had been playing for years, even if she's never seen or even heard him play. He must have another place to play.

_"Woah,"_ Clint whispered, as low as his voice could go. Tony nodded in agreement, but ultimately backed up behind Natasha and Clint. Why had he-

There was a slip of the melody and Peter hastily turned towards the door. His eyes grew wide and he almost fell off the chair as he backed up. Oh. Superhearing, she remembered. That's why Tony had moved away. The prick. 

"Shit- I mean, uh, fuck, hi guys, um, I'm sorry- I probably woke you- I didn't want you to, uh, be here, sorry-" Peter was stumbling over all of his words, stuttering without end. She mentally cringed, watching the kid ramble on and on. He was probably embarrassed. And surprised. And shocked, maybe annoyed? He definitely wasn't relaxed anymore, though. That was off the table entirely. 

Natasha sighed as she opened the door wider and stepped inside. She knew Clint followed behind her cautiously, but Tony stayed at the door. Peter actually did fall off the seat then, knocking it over with a kick of his feet. Tony wasn't lying when he said this kid was clumsy. 

After he finished mentally kicking himself for being an idiot, Natasha noted, she grabbed his arm and lifted him up to his feet. 

"I would watch out for that kind of language, Pete. Never know when Steve's sensitive ears are listening." Tony said, a light joke lifting up the air a little. It was silent in the room, and the air grew thick. She knew the kid was embarrassed. Of course, invading his safe place was a bad idea. She shook her head and tried to think of what to say. 

"That wasn't bad, you know. Where'd you learn?" She asked, keeping her voice light and as calm as he knew he needed. As much as she thought this question would distance himself from the problem, Natasha noticed his red cheeks fade to a pale white, wrinkles creasing around the edges of his eyes. That seemed like a bad idea. The question had made Peter feel worse, but why?

There were a few moments of silence before Peter took a deep breath. Natasha made sure to keep the confusion and curiosity out of her gaze before she looked at him again. Peter ran a shaking hand through his hair and looked at the floor. 

"My uncle taught me," Peter said, taking another deep breath. His voice was quiet and thick as if he struggled to get the words out.

Oh. _Oh._

Natasha had heard about his past by definitely _not_ spying on him. His uncle had been shot, and his parents died in a plane crash. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid, but she never once let it show in any way. Peter had enough pity in his life. He didn't need anymore. Especially from Natasha, who had built everything from nothing. 

There was a quiet _"oh, kid"_ from behind her and Natasha elbowed Clint subtly. Okay, maybe not that subtle. Peter picked up the chair again. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll, uh, go back to my room now." Peter said, wincing at his own words. Yeah, he sounded like a kid, she agreed. 

"You didn't wake us, kid-" Clint started, trying to get the kid to sit back down and play, whether or not if it was for him or Peter. Truth be told, Natasha wanted to hear Peter play again, too, but the fact that they invaded his space was not okay. She doubted the kid would come back in here, for a long time, if not ever again. 

"Why don't you play again?"

Peter looked up just as Natasha turned around. Tony leaned against the piano, staring at Peter. His expression was calm and actually soothing. Natasha was kind of jealous she didn't have that effect, but spying didn't require that. 

It didn't take long for Peter to shake his head rapidly. Natasha noticed him back away on shaking legs. His hands were shoved into his pocket. He had the need to play. Between the shaking and calm glances at Tony and the piano, Natasha knew that. 

"That's fine. Not gonna force you, kid." Tony said, shrugging his shoulders. Peter shared another look with Tony and glanced at the piano again. After a few seconds and a deep breath, Peter sat down again and set his hands down on the keys. Natasha wanted to stop them from shaking so much because she knew it was getting on his nerves. But the moments passed and Peter took another deep breath, pressing down on the keys. 

A beautiful melody filled the air. It was sad but happy, and excited, yet calm and soothing. She didn't quite know how to explain the feelings she got from listening to it. But regardless, it was beautiful. The smile on Clint's face and the pride in Tony's eyes showed how they felt the same. Peter really knew how to play piano, probably enough to rival Tony. 

Moments passed, and it continued, but the pace had slowed down. Natasha saw Peter's lips twitch up but immediately went back down. He was trying to hold in his smile. That made her feel kind of bad. He was so restless he hadn't even felt it was safe to smile in this room. Of course, he didn't, Natasha. Hint hint Captain Obvious: he still felt bad about last week. 

Finally, Peter started to relax again. His shoulders slumped from their tense state and his movements seemed less jumpy. Peter felt relaxed again, and Natasha could let out a breather. Finally.

When his song ended, they clapped. It wasn't loud, but it was enough that brought back more color to Peter's face. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from them. His face was red from blushing, and that made Natasha smile a tiny bit. 

"That was amazing! I didn't know you could play! Do you play often?" Clint asked, hitting Peter lightly on the shoulder.

"I, uh, come here all the time. Usually when everyone is asleep." The last part sounded bitter to her when everything clicked. He came here at night when everyone was sleeping. Natasha had heard the piano notes many times before when she had been up late. To be honest, she hadn't thought much of it. When its four in the morning and you hear music, usually the first thing that comes to mind is how tired you are. The second thing is _'Oh snap, sleep.'_

She watched Peter play with the ends of his shirt. His face was red and he seemed to want to shrink away from the way his shoulders were bent. Tony took a step forward and sat next to the kid. 

"It's two in the morning, kid. Go get some sleep." He said, pushing him lightly. Peter looked at him and gave him a small smile, looking back at Clint and Natasha. 

Peter yawned. "Sorry, uh, again."

Natasha watched him cringe at his own words. This kid is a mess. 

"For the last time, don't be sorry." Tony leaned against the piano, crossing his arms. Peter nodded slowly and walked out of the room. 

When she was convinced Peter had gone back to his room or at least was in another, she sighed. Clint looked up at the ceiling, a mischievous look in his eyes. That usually... wasn't good. If he was going to ruin this for the kid she might do more than slap him. Peter was a kid, a teenager for Christ's sake. He didn't have many safe places, she knew that. Peter was easier to read than he thought. 

Like Tony, she thought. They were so alike, but never mentioned it, because, most of the time? That wasn't the best thing. At least Peter was a good kid, nice, polite. And so vibrant. So bright. That was something she never wanted to see him let go.

As Natasha was about to say something and leave, probably get some sleep, Clint spoke up.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. you got the kid on video? I want it as my new ringtone." Clint asked, a small laugh escaping his lips. Natasha hit him on the head, only softly, though, because she may or may not want the video too. What? Peter's music was beautiful, and she adored the kid. He was rarely on camera since last week. This? A memory. And _maybe_ blackmail. You never know. 

"All recorded. Would you like it to be sent to your inbox?"

"Yes, ma'am."

There was a second before Clint's phone rang, with the video attached. 

Natasha smiled. "You're going to send it me, right?"

The teasing tone in her voice was only light, but she knew Clint had heard it. He nodded, scrolling through his contacts. Before Natasha could say anything, she yawned. Blinking twice, she watched Clint wave goodnight and walk out the room, leaving Tony and her alone. 

That left her with a few questions. Tony usually talked a lot, especially around the kid. So why hadn't he said anything this entire time? 

"He reminds me of my mom," Tony said, answering Natasha's question before she could even ask it. She turned and looked at him. He was leaning forward now, elbows resting on his knees. "Peter, I mean. Not Clint. No, _definitely_ not."

The day Clint reminds anyone of any person besides Clint himself is the day Natasha dyes her hair pink. 

"Of course, he's more bright. Try finding a kid who talks more, it's impossible." Tony rolled his eyes, cracking his back as he stood up. That is very much true. Natasha hasn't seen or even met another person who can talk as much as Peter. Though he hasn't said much lately. It was kind of worrying.

Walking towards the door, Tony stopped. Natasha raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to say something else. She didn't think there was anything left to say, but she liked to keep an open mind.

"Don't tell anyone. About Peter. I've known he could play for a long time, but he hasn't even told me. Don't think anyone else knows, either." Tony shrugged. 

"Better tell Clint that, then. He's the one with the video." Natasha said a small smile on her face. To be honest, she'd kill Clint if he told anyone anyways. There wasn't a need to tell Natasha, but it was always a good reminder. 

"Shit. That guy cannot be trusted." Tony cursed, walking out the room. Natasha heard him speak one more time before his voice was muffled against the walls. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., remove Clint from having access to security footage without verbal confirmation from anyone with privileges." 

"Can do, Mr. Stark."

Natasha rolled her eyes, walking out the room to the elevator. She was tired, and their conversations would be foggy in the morning, but she knows the melody Peter played wouldn't leave her ears for a while. 

**Author's Note:**

> I can't write Natasha even if it would kill me otherwise. She's such an amazing character but? I never get it right. I'm sorry for that. It kind of ruins the effect I wanted of the story, but a P.O.V from any other character didn't make sense in my mind so I just rolled with it. Again, I'm sorry! (tips would be very much appreciated!)
> 
> This fic sort of relates to "Inability To Keep Secrets" but there aren't direct references towards it. Thanks for reading!


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